If you decide to change the interior of your room, then you should pay attention to the decoration of the walls with facing stone. For a long time, decoration with such material was very expensive. Moreover, both the material itself and the work involved in its installation were expensive.
Today, with the advent of new technologies, successful imitations of natural stone have appeared, used for interior decoration. This artificial facing stone, which is also called decorative, is no different in appearance from natural material.
Types of facing stones for interior decoration
- Today it is used very rarely for interior decoration. And the reason for this lies in its high cost, as well as the large weight of the material. After all, not every wall can withstand such a weight. Therefore, even if natural stone is used to decorate interiors, it is only on a limited wall surface. For example, this is how you can decorate columns, a fireplace or a podium in a winter garden.
- Artificial or decorative facing stone - great alternative natural material for interior decoration. The cheapest material is considered fake diamond on a concrete base. It consists of cement, various dyes and fillers in the form of perlite, pumice and expanded clay. The weight of such material is much less than that of natural stone, and it is cheaper. Installation decorative stone It’s simple and can be installed on any wall surface. In addition, if necessary, you can easily restore damaged artificial stone cladding.
- Brick interior wall decoration most in demand. This design emphasizes the noble style and creates an atmosphere of comfort and warmth. However, all components of cement decorative bricks must be of high quality, which will protect the material from discoloration during operation. This facing stone is distinguished by durability, fire safety and environmental friendliness.
- Porcelain tiles. Many designers use this currently popular type of artificial stone for interior decoration. The composition of this material includes feldspar, quartz sand, several types of clay, coloring pigments in the form of metal oxides and mineral additives. Thanks to this, the material has increased strength and uniformity of structure.
- Acrylic facing stone- a practical solution for interior wall decoration in a room. It is not deformed and is not afraid of moisture, is lightweight and easy to care for. Acrylic stone does not support combustion and is safe for humans.
- Agglomerate- another type of artificial stone. It is represented by two main types. Decorative agglomerate chips very accurately copy the structure of natural stone. Using this material, majestic marble mosaic coverings in the traditions of Ancient Rome, Greece and Byzantium. Agglomerates are resistant to abrasion, have low weight and low hygroscopicity.
Decorative facing stone successfully imitates any natural material: granite, marble, valuable rocks and even brick. The interior looks elegant and luxurious if it has marble or granite cladding. Such brilliant design will perfectly emphasize the delicate taste and status of the owner of the house or apartment. A copy of dark green malachite will add a special charm to the interior design of the room. The style will be perfectly emphasized by pale pink imitation marble on the walls of the room.
Finishing interior spaces natural stone is one of the most original and interesting options for interior decoration. This material has long won well-deserved recognition due to its long service life and very impressive appearance. The main advantages of this finish include:
- strength and durability, high wear resistance;
- versatility of use of the material, its practicality;
- attractive appearance, uniqueness of the drawing;
- good thermal conductivity;
- environmental friendliness.
The natural motifs that stone brings into the interior will fit perfectly into a modern home, but it is important to choose the right type of material, decide on its color, structure, and functional characteristics.
The most popular types of natural stone for interior decoration
Marble- the most valuable and very beautiful material. This wall cladding looks very noble and expensive, emphasizing the high status of the owner of the house and his refined taste.
Granite And quartzite Due to their dense structure and strength, they are ideal for finishing. Surfaces coated with them require minimal maintenance.
Travertine has the best thermal conductivity and has excellent physical properties for wall cladding.
Limestone It is also used very widely - with high strength and durability, its price is affordable.
Slate Modern designers love it very much for its exceptional appearance, thanks to which it is easy to recreate minimalist, high-tech and similar styles when decorating rooms.
At home. Usually this action lasts a very long time, and when it ends, it’s time to start the repair in a new way, but this applies to cosmetic repairs. Usually people do such repairs on their own, which is why it is delayed indefinitely.
But sometimes the time comes for major repairs, and then it’s best for you to trust the professionals, yes, it costs money, yes, you have to spend a lot, but you can’t do it without builders. So, when all the preparatory work is ready and the apartment is ready to be transformed, you need not to make a mistake with the choice of material with which you will decorate the interior of your apartment. And there is a lot of choice here.
What to choose for interior decoration
Now there are a huge number of different finishing materials on the building materials market. You can decorate your apartment using plastic panels. Such panels are not expensive, have a good appearance, are environmentally friendly and can serve you well for a long time, and if you accidentally damage the plastic panel, it can be easily replaced. The pattern on such panels can also be very different, for example, stone panels for interior decoration. Such panels imitate masonry in your apartment. It looks very original, especially since the stone pattern is now in fashion.
If you don’t want to deal with plastic, you can decorate the interior of your apartment using tiles. This material costs a little more, but it looks and lasts much longer than plastic panels. But you may have problems installing tiles. Unlike plastic panels, tiling the walls in an apartment is quite difficult; such work requires certain skills. Ceramic tiles can also be matched to stone; stone-look tiles for interior decoration are now very popular among people who are planning or are already renovating their apartment.
In general, we want to say that the topic of stone is now very relevant in the construction world. Remember how at one time it was very fashionable to sheathe an apartment with wood, wood was everywhere, in the kitchen, in the corridors, some even managed to sheathe the bathroom with wood. If there was no money for wood, then they bought wood-look wallpaper and pretended that everything in the apartment was covered with this material. Those days are gone and now stone is in fashion. So maybe you shouldn’t fake it and decorate the interior of your apartment with stone?
And here you have a question, which stone should you choose, but it can be different, it can be natural stone for interior decoration, there is artificial stone for interior decoration, and there is . Which one to choose, we will try to answer this question for you today.
Natural stone or decorative
For those who have never dealt with stone, it will be very important to decide for themselves which material to choose for the interior decoration of the apartment, let's look at all the pros and cons of natural and decorative stone for interior decoration. So, what kind of natural stone is usually used to decorate apartments? Well, first of all, the interior decoration of the apartment is done with marble, it looks very beautiful and expensive. Moreover, it not only looks expensive, in fact, interior decoration with marble will cost you very much, and this is one of the main disadvantages of natural stone.
In addition, laying natural stone is very difficult. After all, natural stone tiles usually have different colour, therefore only a professional can do such cladding high level so that the colors of the tiles match. In general, we can conclude that interior decoration with natural stone will not only bring you trouble with its installation, but will also force you to spend a lot of money on the material itself. Of course, when the renovation is completed, it will all look very good and rich, but while you are doing this renovation, it will wear out a lot of your nerves.
An alternative to natural stone can be decorative stone for interior decoration. This stone is made artificially, but in appearance it is absolutely no different from natural stone. But such a stone is much cheaper, has many colors and shades, so you can easily choose this stone to suit your design and color scheme your apartment. In addition, such a stone has many shapes, but it is very convenient to lay it. After all, it has the shape of a wild stone only on the outside, but on the inside, the stone has the shape of an ordinary brick. Therefore, anyone with at least some masonry skills, or even without them, can lay it without much difficulty.
So, let's summarize. It seems to us that everything is obvious, because artificial stone is no different in its properties from natural stone, but it costs much less, and such stone is much easier to finish. The conclusion is obvious, if you do not want to create unnecessary problems for yourself, then you need to buy decorative or, as it is also called, artificial stone for interior decoration. We have mentioned the cost many times or price of decorative stone for interior decoration and natural stone, let's compare them.
How much does stone cost for interior decoration, where to buy
So, if your choice of material for interior decoration is decorative stone, then you need to know where to buy it. And it’s not difficult to buy it; such material can be purchased at any large hardware store in any city. If you know, now there are even entire supermarkets building materials, well, it’s in stores like these that you’ll find the most big choiceartificial stone for interior decoration, therefore, if you want to buy it, then you are welcome to go there.
If you could not find what you are looking for in the store, then you can order from the manufacturer, any shape, size and color you want. We’ve sorted out where to look for material, now let’s take a look at the prices of stone and compare. So, when purchasing decorative stone for interior decoration remember that it is on sale or in square meters, or in pieces, usually in a package of 0.6 square meters, or about 40 pieces of decorative tiles. The cost of such packaging is about 150-200 rubles. Natural stone is sold in approximately the same packages, but the cost of one such package can be from 1000 rubles or more. In general, the difference is obvious.
Types of artificial stones
There are currently three types artificial stones for interior decoration. There are artificial stones on a concrete base, ceramic granite and agglomerates. Which type should you choose? Let's try to figure it out. Concrete-based is an artificial stone for interior decoration; it has increased strength, since various metal oxides are used as painted elements. This stone also contains sand, several types of clay and cement.
As you understand, such material does not fit very well into the “environmentally friendly material” rubric. Agglomerates attract the attention of those people who love luxury in their interiors and one can understand why they love this material so much. Thanks to the use of modern technologies used in the production of this material, it is possible to achieve a complete match with natural stone. In the production of this facing material, natural marble chips and resin are used, which make it possible to create a pattern and structure identical to natural stone.
And thanks to the outer coating, the tiles are given not only shine, but also warmth. Yes, unlike its natural counterpart, this artificial marble is warm to the touch, so it is very comfortable and cozy to sit on such window sills. This material has a number of advantages: it is durable, affordable, practically requires no maintenance, the material is resistant to abrasion, and in addition, during operation, the agglomerate does not develop yellowness, like natural marble. This is due to the fact that the coloring particles in artificial marble are distributed more evenly.
In general, self-leveling marble - great option decorative stone for interior wall decoration in the apartment. Such material will create an atmosphere of wealth and prosperity in your apartment, and will also emphasize the good taste of the owner of the home. Very often, along with self-leveling marble, brick-like tiles are used; such tiles create the illusion of a real unfinished brick wall. This type of tile is very popular among cafe and bar owners. After all, brick-like tiles create the illusion of security and reliability in the establishment.
As a result, customers are in the establishment with great pleasure. Such tiles installed at home also create the illusion of comfort and reliability. Decorative brick is currently the most popular type of decoration for residential premises. Therefore, if you choose this option for interior decoration, you will be in trend.
If you decide to do interior wall decoration with decorative stone in your apartment, you must remember several rules for such finishing. It’s clear that such a rich finish is not customary to hide from prying eyes (why did you even do it then), so you must be able to present such a renovation to your friends and acquaintances who will come to visit you. After all, you really want everyone to just gasp at the repairs you’ve done for yourself. So remember that first of all stone wall, decorative or natural (it doesn’t matter) should be well lit, so think about what lamps you can hang on this wall so that they match the interior.
If you have only part of the wall finished, then this particular part should be illuminated. Why is this necessary? Everything is simple, only in good lighting you can see the structure of the stone, you can see its relief, the play of light, the play. A properly lit stone wall can have a stunning effect. It is best to make sure that the light falls on the wall from above, then the relief of the stone will be more noticeable. The second rule that a person who has decorated the walls of his apartment with stone should remember is that stone decoration goes very well with greenery. If the wall is decorated with stone, then be sure to let a vine run along this wall or place a stand with lush flowers near it. Stone trim will look very good in a greenhouse, well, if you have one at home, of course.
If you lined the hallway walls with stone, then make sure that the wall lighting is installed on both sides. A wall that is illuminated from above and below will look very advantageous. If you plan to install a fireplace or its imitation in the wall, be sure to line it with the same stone. What should you do if you have done this, but you cannot provide normal lighting? There are such cases. Then we can advise you to choose only stone made in light colors for cladding.
In this case, do not use a solid stone; in order for the stone to look without lighting, you can cover only part of the wall with it, for example, an arch above the entrance to a room, a corner, or just a small section of the wall. A light fragment of a wall against the background of a decorative fountain will look very good; they have now become a fashionable feature in the design of apartments and houses. Behind it, line a small section of the wall with light stone.
So, let's summarize. Finishing the room with stone- a very good thing. If you decide to make major renovations to your home, how? finishing material be sure to choose a stone, and it doesn’t matter whether it is natural or decorative. Such repairs will be appreciated by your friends, and you will be aware of problems with cosmetic or major repairs will have to be forgotten for many years. All these plastic panels tiles, wallpaper and painted walls are an excellent option for renovation. But over time it will not look so bright.
They will fall off and rub, dark spots will appear on them around the switches, the plastic panels will definitely get holed or scratched by someone and you will have to change them. But a stone is a stone, it is eternal. Look at medieval castles, made of stone and standing for thousands of years. So make such a medieval castle out of your apartment and then the saying “my house, my fortress” will come to life right in your home, and your house will turn into this very fortress in every sense.